Reever did not waste time chatting with the librarian. He was racing against the clock. The timer hovering at the edge of his vision warned him that his human disguise would fade in three hours. During his earlier walk through the city, he had not seen a single bot. Only players moved through the streets, talking, trading, laughing, living.
He found himself in the history section of the library. After typing his request into the screen, a soft chime guided him toward a specific shelf. He retrieved a pair of VR glasses and made his way to the reading room, settling into one of the seats before activating the device.
A calm voice filled his ears.
"Ascend.Exe. The next evolution for humanity, once thought to be nothing more than a dream, has been made into reality. The system has evolved alongside the game, and we can proudly declare it the greatest invention ever created.
Currently, over ninety percent of the human population is active within the game. VR pods are sold at affordable prices, making access easy for nearly everyone.
You may be wondering how far the game has grown.
With over five hundred years of accumulated development, the boundary between the gaming world and the real world has all but vanished. In the past, players relied on nutrient vials while connected to their machines. With modern advancements, food consumed in the virtual world is now delivered directly to the physical body. Pain and touch receptors have been refined to the point where interaction carries almost no delay.
Inside the game, change is visible everywhere. The number of maps has expanded dramatically and they are now categorized by player rank. Weapons and ammunition have undergone similar evolution. Bosses have grown more powerful, capable of dropping rare skills and abilities."
The voice continued, detailing systems, maps, and mechanics. Reever listened carefully, absorbing every word. Nearly two hours passed before he finally removed the glasses.
The lecture was meant to last three hours, but the timer made the decision for him. The information alone had been worth the visit. He now understood how much the game had changed and just how deep the system truly went.
Leaving the library, he headed toward the city gates. After presenting his entry pass, he was allowed to leave without issue. He walked for a short while before a system notification appeared, asking whether he wished to teleport back to his lobby.
Moments later, he materialized inside his room.
"That was a long day indeed," he muttered, letting himself fall onto his makeshift bed. The frame groaned under his weight, threatening to collapse, but held together out of stubborn loyalty.
He summoned his system inventory and retrieved the items he had purchased at the auction.
"After going through the information at the library, I really bought these things cheap," he said, his fingers brushing over a black metallic magazine that rested comfortably in his palm. "Especially this one."
He summoned his weapon and tested the new magazine. It slid into place smoothly. He then examined his old magazine and checked its properties. It could hold over five thousand bullets, but only standard ammunition.
The new magazine, however, could store roughly two thousand rounds while supporting multiple bullet types.
"The system claims this room is indestructible," Reever said thoughtfully. "Might as well test that."
He cocked his gun, then paused.
"No. Testing special water bullets here would be a waste. Training field sounds better."
With a gesture, he summoned the system interface and selected the training field option.
A notification appeared before him.
[There are currently over twenty variations of training fields accessible to the user. Please select a destination.]
Reever scrolled through the list, surprised. Most training fields he knew relied on simple bots as practice targets. Among the options, one particular map caught his attention. An Iconic tier environment tied to a water based world.
He selected it.
[You have selected the Harbourtide map.
This is a water based training field.
The player must eliminate water type enemies while surviving repeated waves.
Waves will crash into the docks every minute, reshaping the battlefield.
Objective one. Kill fifteen water type beasts within the time limit.
Objective two. Defeat the boss within ten minutes.
No rewards will be granted.
No penalties will be applied.
In the event of death, one life will be deducted from the player's total life count.
Total lives remaining. Thirty.
If all lives are lost, the player will be erased from the system.]
The notifications struck him one after another. At first, he felt impressed by the system's depth and the variety of environments available for practice. Then the final lines settled in.
Thirty lives.
His expression stiffened.
During his research at the library, he had learned that players could respawn endlessly after death. The cost came in the form of lost items or progress. Yet the system now informed him that he possessed a limited number of lives.
He had found almost no information about bots during his time in the library. Only vague classifications and surface level explanations. Anything deeper was missing, as if deliberately erased or never recorded at all.
That mystery could wait.
Right now, the only thing that mattered was survival.
His armor was high ranked, but he had already seen how easily powerful players could tear through defenses. Strength alone would not save him. Adaptation would.
The game had offered him a chance to evolve beyond human limits. He had no option but to climb. Rank up. Grow stronger. Reach the master level and escape this carefully disguised prison.
Maybe even go beyond it.
After checking his equipment one final time, Reever confirmed his selection.
The world shifted.
He materialized on an open sea dock surrounded by towering containers. The scent of salt filled the air. Below the surface, shapes moved. Monsters swam toward the structure, their eyes fixed on him.
They were ready to tear him apart.
And this time, death would cost him more than just items.